The invention relates in general to pieces of trim molded out of plastics material for use in motor vehicles.
More precisely, the invention relates to a hollow body of plastics material for placing around a motor vehicle steering column, the body comprising two half-bodies and assembly means for assembling the half-bodies to each other in a longitudinal direction, the assembly means comprising a plurality of longitudinal tabs each secured to one of the half-bodies, and snap-fastener means for fastening each tab to the other half-body, each half-body comprising a concave shell with its concave side facing towards the other half-body, said shell presenting an inside face, each tab comprising a longitudinal arm presenting one end secured to the corresponding half-body and a portion in relief projecting along a portion of the arm that is remote from the half-body, said portion in relief including a first catch bearing surface.
Document EP-1 391 351 describes such a hollow body comprising two half-bodies assembled together by tabs secured to one of the half-bodies, and having portions in relief that engage in windows formed in the shell of the other half-body.
Such hollow bodies need to be manufactured with manufacturing tolerances that are very small so as to guarantee that the portions in relief of the tabs snap properly into the windows. The slightest deformation of the shell in which the windows are formed can lead to the tabs engaging poorly, and thus to the two half-bodies being poorly fastened to each other. Furthermore, the existence of windows formed in the hollow body gives it an appearance that is not very agreeable.
In this context, the invention seeks to propose a hollow body in which the assembly means are less sensitive to manufacturing tolerances, and that presents a better appearance, while also enabling the two half-bodies to be separated easily.